Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Khalid Firoz has urged the Federal Commerce Minister, Humayun Akhtar, and the Director of Trade Organisations, to intervene in the Pakistan Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) affairs to stem the prevailing rote in the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI), mainly emanating from the membership of inauthentic and bogus associations.
He said that Siraj Kassam Teli had expressed concern and apprehensions during a meeting with the Commerce Minister on December 11, 2004, that FPCCI election, in the presence of many bogus and fake associations, rendering the electoral college inauthentic and ingenuine, would not be fair and impartial, and urged the Minister to adopt corrective measures. "However, the Minister replied that it would not be appropriate to take any action at a stage when elections were a few days away." He, however, promised to look into the matter after the elections.
The KCCI president said that Teli's prediction came true and the election of FPCCI witnessed all kinds of mismanagement and bogus and fake voting. "When the electoral college is not immune from bogus and fake associations, it is bound to create complications, which have now culminated into the constitutional crisis and the matter has been referred to the High Court," he argued.
Khalid said that obviously the next course of election would be determined by the order of the High Court. "However, in order to completely clean the Aegean stable on permanent basis, it would be appropriate if a Committee of genuine businessmen, including a representative of government, is constituted to review the electoral college and identify the non-existent and bogus associations to eliminate the same as voters. Meanwhile, an administrator of impeccable character and integrity from the business community should be appointed to hold fresh election.
The KCCI chief said: "The membership of fake and bogus associations has many-sided implications. It elects unauthorised representatives by depriving the genuine ones, supports professionals and thus gives rise to such management, which does not enjoy necessary respect, either in the business community or in the government. It is due to this reason that FPCCI, being the apex body, has not delivered the goods to safeguard the interests of the private sector, nor has it contributed to the economic development of the country."
The KCCI chief expressed hope that the government would take immediate corrective measures to save FPCCI from fiasco.